


Please, hold the line...

by silsecri



Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-24 17:43:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2590502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silsecri/pseuds/silsecri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Re-posting some old works for the sake of archiving everything together.</p><p>Mad love to <span class="ljuser i-ljuser i-ljuser-type-P"></span><a class="i-ljuser-profile" href="http://arabella-hope.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://arabella-hope.livejournal.com/"></a><b>arabella_hope</b> for the beta work, all mistakes are mine.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Please, hold the line...

**Author's Note:**

> Re-posting some old works for the sake of archiving everything together.
> 
> Mad love to [](http://arabella-hope.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://arabella-hope.livejournal.com/)**arabella_hope** for the beta work, all mistakes are mine.

**Please, hold the line...**  
silsecri

 

Katy sat down on the couch with her phone and her laptop. It was time to call her husband.

Kris answered the phone at the first ring. _“Hey, gorgeous. How's it going?”_

She went right to the point. “I've got three things to tell you.”

Kris chuckled, _“Okaaay.”_

She rolled her eyes. “Really, Kris, you know how it always goes. So don't hung up until I've told you about all three of them, OK?”

_“Sure... You know you can call if there's anything important-”_

She cut him off, no reason to make him feel bad. “It's not _that_ important, Kris. Just stuff we gotta talk about.”

 _“I'm just saying,”_ he insisted.

“Okay, first, the tiles for the master bathroom arrived yesterday and they screwed up the color but I kinda like it?”

_“What, like, they sent a different color?”_

“No, no. They're still blue, just a darker shade. I'm sending you a pic. The guy from the store apologized like a hundred times. And when I said I liked it he gave us a few days to decide what we want,” she said, typing a quick message to go with the photos she was sending him. “Sometimes I love being your wife, you know?” she added. “He totally went out of his way to accommodate the American Idol and his wife.”

_“Glad to be of service, Mrs. Allen.”_

“Shut up,” she said, laughing. “Anyway, you gotta take a look and let me know.”

Kris hesitated a moment before saying, _“If you like it-”_

“Kris,” she cut him off. “We've talked about this.” It was their house. She hated feeling like she was alone in making all the decisions about it. Like he was never going to live in their house with her.

 _“Right, okay. Sorry,”_ Kris hurried to make peace.

“Look at the pics and tell me which one you like better,” she asked, and her voice sounded almost polite to herself.

 _“Yes ma'am,”_ he snapped at attention. Kris always knew what to say.

She shook her head fondly. “Good. Now, remember that photoshoot I made with the wedding dress?”

_“Sure.”_

“Well, the photographer called last week. She has a campaign lined up and she can pick the models. She thought of me and offered me the job. It's not a huge campaign or anything, but...”

 _“That's great, Kate!”_ Kris congratulated her exuberantly and then he hesitated and added tentatively, _“Right? I mean-”_

“No, yeah, it is,” she said.

_“I know modeling is not what you wanted to do.”_

“It's not that, Kris. I mean, yeah, modeling is not acting but it's fun-”

 _“For you, maybe,”_ he mumbled.

Katy ignored him, “-and it's getting my name, well, my face out there.”

_“So...?”_

“Right, the actual shoot would be late September.”

_“Oh...”_

“Yeah, I know. It's-”

She stopped talking when she heard Lizzie talking to Kris on the other side. _“Kris, I need you to-”_

 _“Not right now, Liz. Five minutes,”_ she heard him say.

“Kris, if you have to go-”

_“It's fine, we're still on item number two.”_

“But-”

_“Katy, really. It's fine. The shoot, September.”_

“And New York.”

 _“New York? Man...”_ Kris whined. She totally knew how he felt.

“Exactly. Three days out of the maybe ten days off we have together for the first time in forever.”

 _“Do you have the exact dates?”_ he asked.

“She wasn't sure, yet. Probably the last Monday to Wednesday of the month, she thinks.”

They were silent for a little while.

Finally, Kris said, _“You should do it, Katy. Lizzie mentioned the other day the trip to sing for the troops might end up cutting on our days off anyway. They're still working on it.”_

Katy's face fell. Right. “I forgot about that,” she said softly. Her disappointment evident in her voice.

_“Yeah, I know. It's not worth it missing out on an opportunity for you when my schedule's always changing anyway.”_

It had been almost a miracle to squeeze those days in the first time. Sighing, she gave up. “It was too good to be true, huh?”

At least he had official time off around Christmas, and it's not like they wouldn't see each other until then. She was so visiting unannounced the moment the missing got too bad.

 _“I'm sorry,”_ Kris said.

“Don't you dare apologize, Kris. Not for this.” Katy let her words linger for a moment before adding cheekily, “Not yet, anyway.”

Kris chuckled. _“You're the best, babe.”_

She heard someone coming into the room again. _“Is that Katy?”_ That was Cale. _“Let me talk to her.”_

_“Cale, what are you-?”_

_“I'll be quick, I've just gotta ask her something.”_ She heard loud whispering she couldn't make out and then Cale was on the line. _“Katy? I need your help.”_

She heard Kris in the background, _“What is it, Lizzie?”_ his voice lowering as he walked away.

Katy rolled her eyes. “Nicely played, Mills.”

 _“Thanks,”_ he said, unapologetic. _“I do have to talk to you, though.”_

“Do you? Have you, maybe, figured out why you're in the dog house, then?”

Cale practically whined, _“Yeah... I can't believe Kate's really mad about-”_

“Not helping your case there, honey.”

_“Right, sorry. So...”_

“So... You're talking to me because...?”

 _“Because Kate's not picking up.”_ Katy could almost see the pout.

“Ah...” She tried to stifle a laugh.

_“Could you not laugh at me, please?”_

Unsuccessfully, apparently. “Sorry, sorry. So, this is good. You've realized you made a mistake, and you've sent her a beautiful bouquet of flowers-”

_“I have?”_

“Yes, Cale, keep up.”

_“Right! Sorry, I have.”_

“And tonight you're going to apologize.”

_“But she's not answering the phone.”_

“We'll see if the flowers change her mind. Make sure the card is short and sweet. A simple 'Sorry, I love you' does the trick. And if she still doesn't pick up, you call me. She's coming over tonight.”

_“Er... Should I be worried?”_

“Nah, it's a 'misery loves company' kinda thing. We're bonding over our sad, lonely days. Also, we watch YouTube videos of your shows and make fun of you two. It's our thing.”

_“Reaaally. Mkay.”_

“Is Kris done yet? He can call later if it's something important.”

_“It was important. It will also not take long at all. He'll be done in a minute, I promise.”_

“Okay. How's he doing?” As long as she had the time. She was so glad Cale had made the band. She couldn't imagine herself asking Andrew if Kris was doing okay. Maybe Torres.

_“You know I'd tell you if there was something wrong.”_

“Well, yes. As long as it was serious enough to warrant a breach of brotherhood loyalty or whatever you boys wanna call it. But I also know there doesn't have to be something wrong to be feeling down.” She so knew that. Sometimes missing Kris was like missing a limb.

_“Well, yeah, of course. He always misses you.”_

God, she was so transparent. “You don't have to suck up or anything, Cale. Some days you guys are too busy to miss anyone.”

_“Maybe, but that still leaves the nights.”_

“I guess.”

 _“He's been playing 'Wipe It Away' lately,”_ Cale said suddenly and her stomach fell to the ground. _“You know he rarely plays anything from Brand New Shoes.”_

She heard Kris in the background now, _“Cale!”_

 _“What?”_ he asked Kris at the same time she said softly, “That's not really a good thing, Cale.”

 _“What?”_ Cale repeated, this time to her but Kris was on the line before she could say another word.

_“Katy, bab-”_

“Kris,” she talked over him, her voice wavering.

_“It's not what you think, okay? Listen to me. Are you listening?”_

Katy nodded inanely for a moment, then “Yes.”

_“I've had like lots people asking about Brand New Shoes in the last few days. Some interviewers and most of the fans. I don't know why it's coming up again now. But I thought maybe I'd play a song off the album. No intro, no explanation. Just me; maybe Cale. In between songs or for the encore, before 'Come Together'.”_

“Yeah...” Katy's mouth answered automatically. Her brain was too busy freaking out.

_“Really, Katy. I was trying to decide which song would be best. 'Wipe It Away' is a definite fan favorite but I don't know if maybe something more up-tempo.”_

“'I Was Played' is very popular, too,” she offered.

_“Yeah, I know... You know the fans would love it, and maybe they'd leave it alone then.”_

“Or it would make it worse. You know Jim will pick it up...”

Kris sighed, _“I know.”_

Katy tried to push the memory of the last time Kris had been playing 'Wipe It Away' often, out of the blue. It had been after Idol, right after the initial press push, around the time of the tour rehearsals. They'd spent those few weeks sharing a home base but they'd still seen so little of each other. And then, Kris playing that song, after so long.

When she'd asked him about it Kris had confided his fears about their marriage. About the whole situation they found themselves in, barely married and never together. And things weren't looking any better for the foreseeable future.

They'd had a huge argument that night. Both of them so upset and afraid and hanging so tight to each other.

But she trusted Kris. If he said this had nothing to do with that she believed him.

“Maybe you could do it on the bus, instead. Just playing around in the downtime. Lizzie can record it and put it up on YouTube.”

 _“That could work, too,”_ Kris said and Katy could hear the relief in his voice. She could give him that.

“Something to think on.”

_“Yeah. Oh, hey, what was the last thing on the list?”_

“Right!” She'd almost forgotten. “I found the perfect gift for your mom's birthday.”

_“Awesome, what is it?”_

She settled back to tell him all about how awesome she was for saving his ass once again. It gave her back that feeling of _them_ and _belonging_. With all the changes their lives had gone through it was comforting knowing the little things that made them Kris and Katy were still the same.

“She's gonna love it,” she taunted him playfully. They'd played this game before. She had probably bought every present for Kim since they'd started dating. He was okay with his dad, but her mom was beyond him.

 _“But will it get me dump cake?”_ he asked, hopefully. _“Is it_ that _good?”_

“Oh, Kris, you know your mom doesn't need an excuse to bake for you. Besides, she totally knows I'm the one buying her presents.”

 _“She does not.”_ Kris sounded totally offended, too. Katy loved getting him all riled up.

“Keep dreaming, babe.”

 _“Next year, I'm writing her a song. She'll know it's from me for sure then,”_ he grumbled.

She smiled, “You totally should, you know. She would love that.” Katy always did.

 

_fin_  



End file.
